Nova Scotia lacrosse official hits world stage

By Jordan Parker

Nova Scotian head lacrosse official Scott McMullen took his talents to Utica, N.Y. for the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in September.

Ten days of lacrosse action from Sept. 20-29 culminated with the U.S. taking home the women’s box championship and the Canadian men securing gold in their category.

McMullen said his experience with officials from across the world was also a breathtaking one.

“It was just such a good experience. It was my first indoor world championship, and to be selected was humbling,” he said.

McMullen was the only official chosen east of Ontario, as lacrosse is most popular in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta nationally.

“It’s a big pride point for me. To be able to be on that sort of stage was pretty great,” he said.

Mental and physical preparation was huge, and it took months between World Lacrosse’s request for each country’s selections to being chosen.

“Lacrosse Canada sends that request to the member association, and the Nova Scotia Lacrosse Officials Association then goes through applications sent in, and World Lacrosse narrows things down through a written rules test, fitness tests and submitted game film. All this began last fall,” he said.

Though McMullen had to separate his national pride from his officiating, he said to see the way the Canadian teams played was heartwarming. 

“To see the indoor play from the men and women - and also the number of skilled officials and female officials included - was really eye-opening,” he said.

He’s been around the game for 30 years, and when he was playing between 18 and 20, there were issues getting players, officiants and coaches. He’s seen a growth and a decline, and says the pandemic impacted the sport greatly.

“To see the sport come out the other end and a resurgence in players, coaches and some officiants coming is so great. We have so many officials doing nationals and I did the worlds, and there’s room for even more growth in the sport,” he said.

“Seeing things continue to grow is important, because we rely heavily on a small number of officials to do a lot of games due to the sheer volume we need to cover. Seeing people interested in lacrosse is a great win.”

Lacrosse Nova Scotia has implemented programs that reduce barriers to officiating in hopes of bringing in more young, fresh and talented referees.

“One of the biggest issues right now is abuse to officials. We are trying to make a cohesive environment and be more welcoming. We have different mentorship programs and we want younger officials embedded in the sport longer,” he said.

Another major issue is access to facilities, which can stunt the growth of the sport if not dealt with.

“Whether it’s finding outdoor field time that isn’t really late or really early or getting access to indoor facilities, we need to work on it. We lost our indoor facility during challenges with houselessness, which was difficult” he said.

The Gerald B. Gray Memorial Arena in north-end Dartmouth became an emergency shelter following its closure in 2018, and the facility was directed to become a dry surface area for recreation by council.

“In the indoor season, we don’t get on the floor until April, and our season starts May 1. We need to be finished by mid-July so ice can go in facilities,” he said.

But McMullen sees the future of lacrosse in the province as bright, especially as it continues to grow.

“I was crew chief for five of the eight on-floor games I did in Utica. I got to officiate the gold medal game, and Utica was an amazing tournament at a world stage level,” he said. “It allowed me to represent Nova Scotia lacrosse well and be a leader on an International stage.”